EAS373 The Climate System

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WELCOME

• EAS-373 The Climate System
• MWF (100-150)

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Todays program

• 1-) Let me introduce myself
• 2-) EAS-373 Course outline
• 3-) Tell me about yourself

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Todays program

• A-) General Introduction
• Introduction to science and the scientific method
• Latin and ancient greek
• Etymology
• Terminology/terminologist

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Etymology (true science)

• Origin of words (often from Latin/old greek,
• other languages, scientist)
• Evolution (example Forest forêt)
• Formation (may contain many words)
• Geo/morpho/logy

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Science (Scientia, logos)

• Knowledge or a system of knowledge covering
  general truths or the operation of general laws
  especially as obtained and tested through the
  scientific method

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Science (Scientia, logos)

• Looking for the truth
• Objectivity
• Scientific method

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Spectrum of science

• Social sciences/Humanities
• Education
• Environmental sciences (Geology)
• Life science (Biology, medicine)
• Hard science (Math, chemistry, physic)
• Etc..

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Scientific Method (3 major steps)

• Step 1 Hypothesis (descriptive)
• Step 2 Understanding (research methods)
• Step 3 Forecasting

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Theory

• A hypothesis that has been examined and found to
  withstand numerous tests. (example Plate
  tectonics)
• First step in the right direction for true
  knowledge.
• Please be careful (Handle with care!!!)

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Law (scientific)

• A statement that some aspect of nature is always
  observed to happen in the same way and that no
  deviations have ever been seen

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Laws (scientific, examples)

• Gravity
• 1st law of thermo in a system of constant mass,
  the energy involved in any physical/chemical
  change is neither created nor destroyed, but
  merely changed from one form to another.
• 2nd law of thermo energy always changes from a
  more useful, more concentrated form to a less
  useful, less concentrated form (leads to entropy
  greek worktranformation)
• Supply and demand (Please handle with care!!!)

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Pros and cons (Science) Science is great
butwatch for traps

• School of thoughts (Quantitative/Qualitative)
• Objectivity/Subjectivity
• Technology
• Myth/dogma
• Random (luck)
• Politics (money)
• Pretention (rhetoric, logic, image)
• Trendetc

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Myth/dogma

• Myth a widly held story or belief (usually not
  true)
• Dogma Doctrines or opinions (often a law in
  religion) that cannot be argued.

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Geography (Physical/Human)

• Science describing/explaining/forecasting the
  spatial distribution of objects in function of
  time.

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Meteorology

• Science studying (describing-explaining-forecastin
  g) the actual state of the atmosphere for any
  specific area (place) on Planet Earth (sometimes
  the Moon, Venus, etc). Science also forecasting
  the near future of this state (short term
  6-12-24-48-72 hours).
• About 75-80 accuracy for a 24-h period.
• Needs constant data (temperature, wind, air
  pressure, etc) on the surface (weather station)
  and up in the air (radiosonde balloon,
  satellites, commercial flights.)
• Also micro-meso meteorology (scale)

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Weather station
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Radiosonde balloon
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Weather station
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Satellites (2 types)

• Geostationary (about 36000km)
• Polar (about 1000km)

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Climatology

• Science that analyses the long-term (about 30
  years) state of the atmosphere (mainly the
  temperature and precipitation), explains those
  conditions and forecasts possible change in those
  conditions at seasonal time scales and beyond.
  Classifies different climates.
• Also micro-meso climatology, paleoclimatology and
  social climatology.

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Main difference between meteorology and
climatology (Example Edmonton)

• Meteorology Edmonton right now (50C, cloudy,
  wind from the West at 10km/h, tomorrow sunny
  skythis is an example)
• Climatology Edmonton, climate Dfb (Koppen), Cold
  humid climate. Coldest month is below -30 C,
  warmest month is above 100 C). Average yearly
  temperature is about 40 C. Average yearly
  precipitation (including snowfall) is about
  470mm. This is based on an average of about 30
  years of observation.

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Data (Planet Earth)

• Circumference 40,070 km (equator)
• Polar diameter d12,713 km
• Equatorial diameter D12,757 km
• One day 23 h. 56 4 (leap year 4y)
• Earth s rotation (speed) 1690 km/h
• Speed around the Sun 107,300 km/h
• Distance around the Sun 940,000,000 km/year
• Perihelion 146,400,000 km from Sun (Jan 3)
• Aphelion 151,200,000 km from Sun (July 3)

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Angle of incidence Angle of a ray of sun at the
surface of planet Earth (from 0 to 90)

• Formulas
• 90-f (March 21 and September 21)
• 90- 23,5 f (Intertropical zone)
• 9023,5 f (Extratropical zone)
• (Valid for summertime in Northern Hemisphere and
  summertime in Southern Hemisphere)
• 90-23,5 f (Winter)

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Edmonton (53N)Examples on how to calculate the
angle of incidence and solar energy.

• March 21st 90-53 37 sin370.60 x 2 1.20
  cal/cm2/minute.
• June 21st 9023-53 60,5 sin60,50.87 x
  2 1.74 cal/cm2/minute
• Sept. 21st 90-53 37 sin370.60 x 2 1.20
  cal/cm2/minute.
• Dec.21st 90- 23,5 -53 135 sin13,5 0.23 x
  2 0.46 cal/cm2/min.
• Feb 21st 90-(23,5-15.7)-53 29,7
  sin2970.50 x 21.0 cal/cm2/min.

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Average monthly temperature Edmonton (downtown
Municipal Airport 1971-2000, Celsius)

• January -11.7
• February -8.4
• March -2.6
• April 5.5
• May 11.7
• June 15.5
• July 17.5
• August 16.6
• September11.3
• October 5.6
• November-4.1
• December-9.6

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Albedo ( of solar energy going back in the
atmosphere from the surface)

• Fresh snow 90
• Old snow/ice 50 to 90
• Rock 20 to 25
• Sand 15 to 20
• Forest 5 to 10
• Note 220 kilocalories/cm2/year can be
  accumulated in a hot desert (Sahara), while only
  about 50 kilocalories/cm2/year at the North Pole.

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Atmosphere(composition mainly gases)

• Nitrogen N 78
• Oxygen O 21
• Argon Ar 0.9
• Carbon dioxide CO2 0.03
• Neon Ne 0.0018
• Helium He 0.0005
• Krypton Kr 0.0001
• Xenon Xe 0.00009
• Hydrogen H 0.000001
• Contains also ozone, water vapor, etc

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Structure of the atmosphere (4 major layers)

• Troposphere (0-16km) contains about 80 of all
  the air, vertical and horizontal movements (low
  and high pressure, the weather). Temperature
  decreases by 1C/100m. Thermal inversion.
• Tropopause (-50C).
• Stratosphere (16-50km) contains ozone that
  absorbs ultraviolet. Temperature increases.
  Stratopause (0C).
• Mesosphere (50-85km). Temperature decreases to
  -100C. Mesopause.
• Thermosphere (85-500km). Temperature increases to
  about 1500C. The ionosphere is located between
  100-400km. Auroras occur when electrons streaming
  in from the Sun combine with the ionized gases.

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The Geosphere (Solid Earth non-living)Three (3)
major parts.

• Lithosphere (crust cool/rigid/brittle,
  continental crust (thick), oceanic crust (thick),
  total about 100km).
• ---- Mohorovicic discontinuity
  ----
• Mantle (upper mantle asthenosphere (magma
  250km)
• and mesosphere (transition 350km) and inner
  mantle, total 2900km, about 82 of Planet
  Earths volume)
• Core (iron liquid outer core (2170km), iron
  solid inner core (1300km).

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Hydrosphere (covers about 71 of Planet
Earth)Planet Earth or Planet Ocean?

• Distribution
• 97.2 in Oceans (Seawater)
• 2.0 in Glaciers
• 0.6 on Continents (lakes, rivers)
• Freshwater 75 in glaciers
• 14 groundwater (600-3700m)
• 11 groundwater (0-600m)
• 0.3 lakes
• 0.03 rivers
• 0.06 soil

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Water and hydrologic cycle

• Evaporation (including evapotranspiration)
• Condensation
• Precipitation (liquid, solid)
• Infiltration
• Runoff (surface and groundwater)
• Sublimation
• (See Textbook p. 10-11 and 190-191)

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Cumolonimbus (Cyclogenesis)
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Weather forecast

• http//www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html

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Cryosphere (snow, glacier (ice), permafrost)

• Snow covers a vast area of the North American
  continent in the wintertime as well as Europe and
  Asia (see fig. 10.1, p.216 in textbook)
• Glaciers cover about 10 of the Earths land
  surface (30 during the Pleistocene).
• Permafrost (frozen ground) covers about 20 of
  the Earts land surface.

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Glacier (latitude and altitude)

• Latitude Altitude
• 0 (Equator)
  5000m
• 40-50
  2000-3000m
• 90 (pole)
  0-600m

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Glacier

• Permanent body of ice (recrystallized snow and
  sediment) slow downslope or outward movement
  (weight, stress, internal flow and basal
  sliding). Snow, firn, ice, pure ice (no air).
• 5 types cirque, valley glacier, fjord glacier,
  ice cap (Greenland and Antarctica), ice shelves.

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Glaciated landscapes

• Moraine (lateral, median, terminal)
• Esker, drumlin
• Glacial sculpture grooves, striations,
  lake-filled kettles.

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Permafrost

• Sediment/soil/bedrock that remains continously at
  a temperature below 0C for an extended time
  (over one year)
• Covers 50 of Canada. Can be as thick as 1000m in
  the Arctic.

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Anthropogenic Influences

• In 2008, about 1 billion people in rich countries
  (using most resources aging population) and 5
  billion people in poor countries young
  population).
• Carbon cycle
• Green gas effect
• Renewable resources (water/forest/mineral)
• Non-renewable resources (oil/gaz)

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Pollution

• Atmosphere
• Soil
• Water
• Threats to humanity (pollution, wars, nuclear
  energy)

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Final Exam

• Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 2p.m. (TBC)
• 45
• Thank You.

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Differences Geology/GeographyExample Canadian
Rockies

• Geography will look at the landforms, climate,
  altitude, latitude, longitude, places, etc
• Geology will study rocks, minerals, age, look for
  oil, fossils, etc